If you’re the kind of person who plans ahead, chances are you have a First Aid Kit stocked with bandages, antibacterial ointments, and other things you might need in case of illness or injury. That’s smart. But your kit may be missing one VERY important thing –the information you need to save a tooth that’s been knocked out.

Not that a knocked-out tooth happens every day. But as long people drive cars, play sports and trip over toys, accidents are going to happen. So it’s important to be prepared – especially since once a tooth has been  knocked out, you have just 30 minutes to save it.

An Ounce of Prevention

Of course your best first step is stopping accidents before they happen by doing things like always using your seat belt and wearing a custom mouth guard when you’re playing sports. But even with the best of planning, accidents CAN happen – so you need to be prepared. Which is why we suggest you print the SIX CRUCIAL STEPS we are about to give you and tuck them inside your First Aid Kit.

 Before we give you the steps, though, one word of caution: Before you act to help someone who has had a tooth knocked out, you need to make sure he or she doesn’t have any other, more serious injuries. If the person is not conscious and is unresponsive, and if you are not trained in Basic Life Support, dial 911 (or the appropriate emergency response number in your area) and follow the instructions of the emergency operator).

The SIX KEY STEPS to SAVING a TOOTH

If the knocked-out tooth is the main problem, follow these steps carefully. You’ll need to work fast – which is why I’m suggesting your keep this information handy.

1: Find the tooth and pick it up. Hold it only by the crown so you don’t damage the tiny ligaments on the root.

2: Rinse it off quickly in water or milk. Never scrub or use chemicals like hydrogen peroxide or alcohol.¹

3: If possible, put the tooth back into its socket, being careful to make sure it’s facing in the right direction. You can hold it in place by biting down gently on
something soft but firm.

4: If the tooth can’t be replaced in its socket it can be carried between the cheek and gum. If the person who lost the tooth can’t do this safely, someone else can do it for them. (Keeping the tooth in someone’s mouth helps keep the root moist and protect against bacteria.)²

It’s important, though, to make absolutely sure that whoever carries the tooth isn’t likely to swallow it or inhale it and choke. If you think there’s ANY chance of that happening DO NOT risk transporting it in this manner.

5: If there’s no one who can carry it in his or her mouth safely, put it in a small container and cover it with milk or saliva. Don’t let it dry out! That can cause damage in just a few minutes.

6: Call us RIGHT AWAY so we can arrange for you to get treatment. The sooner you are seen, the better chance there is for saving the tooth.

There you have it, ready to print and save. And, if you have any questions, please just ask Ballantyne Center for Dentistry in Charlotte NC. As always, we want you to have all the information you need.

1. nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000058.htm
2. firstaid.webmd.com/broken-or-knocked-out-teeth-treatment

This may sound like science fiction, but a tooth that’s been totally knocked out can be put back in and actually survive.¹  But ONLY if you ACT FAST (within just 30 minutes) and know exactly what to do.

Unfortunately, most people aren’t aware of the critically important steps they’d need to take if they or a friend had a tooth knocked out. In fact, you probably haven’t even thought about the possibility of losing a tooth in a car accident, a fall or while you’re playing sports. But accidents like that happen every day.

Of course the best way to protect your teeth is to prevent this kind of injury by doing things like wearing your seat belt and using a custom fit mouth guard when you play. But it’s still smart to know the 6 KEY STEPS you need to take to save a tooth and avoid the need for a bridge or implant.

First Things First

Before we give you those steps, though, we do want to remind you to check to make sure the person who’s lost the tooth doesn’t have any other, more serious injuries.

If the person is not conscious and unresponsive, and if you are not trained in Basic Life Support, dial 911 (or the appropriate emergency response number in your area) and follow the instructions of the emergency operator.

Saving a tooth is a good thing but NOTHING is more important than making sure the injured person gets all the medical attention he or she needs as quickly as possible.

The Six Key Steps

If the tooth accident is the main problem, be sure to follow these steps carefully:

1. Find the tooth and pick it up. Be careful to hold it only by the crown (not the root) so you don’t damage the tiny ligaments on the root.

2. Rinse it off quickly in water or milk. Never scrub or use chemicals like hydrogen peroxide or alcohol.²

3. If possible, put the tooth back into its socket, being careful to make sure it’s facing in the right direction. You can hold it in place by biting down gently on something soft but firm.

4. If the tooth can’t be replaced in its socket it can be carried between the cheek and gum. If the person who lost the tooth can’t do this safely someone else can do it for them. (Keeping the tooth in someone’s mouth helps keep the root moist and protect against bacteria.)³ It’s important, though, to make absolutely sure that whoever carries the tooth isn’t likely to swallow it or inhale it and choke,. If you think there’s ANY chance of that happening DO NOT risk transporting it in this manner.

5. If there’s no one who can carry it in his or her mouth safely, put it in a small container and cover it with milk or saliva. Don’t let it dry out!  That can cause damage in just a few minutes.

6. Call Ballantyne Center for Dentistry right away so your Charlotte NC cosmetic dentists can arrange for you to get treatment. The sooner you are seen, the better chance there is for saving the tooth.

That’s it. The SIX absolutely necessary steps to saving a knocked-out tooth – along with our hope you’ll never have to use them.

If you have any questions, just ask. As always, we want you to have all the information you need.

Dental implants can be the answer to your sporting injuries.  Whether you are a 17-year-old who lost a few teeth at his high school baseball game, or you are a 40-year-old who got pile driven with the volleyball at the company beach volleyball tournament, losing a tooth is bad, but not as bad as you might think.  In the past, the only way to fix a missing tooth was through the use of a bridge, partials, or dentures.  But today, with implant dentistry, a cosmetic dentist can replace your missing teeth with high quality and beautiful dental implants.  In fact, the dental implants you receive will probably be even more beautiful than your original teeth.

How Johnny got his dental implants
For a moment, let us consider what it would be like to be a 17-year-old high school baseball star named Johnny.  It is the final game of the season.  Johnny is the star pitcher, the one who everyone is counting on because of his incredible speedball that no one can hit.  Even his cosmetic dentist father, who is also an implant dentist, has canceled several appointments just so he could make the game.  In fact, his cosmetic dentist mother is also there – she is the sedation dentistry expert in the family and she has this incredible calming way about her that no one can resist.  Everyone is watching young Johnny with bated breath – even the college recruiters are there to see how he performs.

Johnny and his team are ahead by one point.  It is the Ninth Inning and Johnny just struck-out the last two batters.  But the bases are loaded and up to bat is Danny, the star batter from the other team, who is the high school version of Babe Ruth and never misses an opportunity to hit the ball out of the park.  Johnny winds up for the pitch, throws his fastest ball straight over the plate, and you can probably guess what happens next.  

Danny hits a line drive straight into Johnny, which hits him right in the teeth.  Johnny flies back onto his bottom on the mound, but guess what… the ball lands right in his glove in his lap, along with his two front teeth.  The crowd goes crazy, and so do the parents of Johnny, who can only look at the blood on the face of their poor son.  Everybody knows that the recruiters are going to be falling over themselves with scholarships for Johnny, but his cosmetic dentist parents know that they will have some work to do if they want their future baseball star son to have a smile that is not only functional, but attractive, too.

How dental implants work
Fortunately for Johnny, his parents are skilled cosmetic dentists who can replace his missing teeth easily.  They will take care of the implants while using sedation dentistry so that Johnny does not feel a thing and gets to receive his dental implants in a comfortable and stress-free state of relaxation.  First, Johnny will receive two titanium implants in his jawbone where his teeth used to be.  Then, he will get some temporary replacement teeth, usually attached to a special kind of partial or retainer, so that no one will notice he is missing his teeth.  Then after five to eight months, his cosmetic dentist parents will install his permanent dental implant prosthetic teeth on top of the titanium posts.  They will be beautiful porcelain teeth and no one will ever know he had an accident.  Best of all, Johnny will be able to enjoy his favorite foods, smile confidently at his favorite jokes, or growl threateningly at his opponents on the baseball diamond for the rest of his career.

Do you need dental implants in Charlotte NC?
If you or your family member have lost a tooth as the result of a sporting accident like Johnny, or if you simply need new dentures and are looking for denture alternatives, contact the Ballantyne Center for Dentistry, Charlotte NC cosmetic dentists, for all your dental implant needs. The expert cosmetic dentistry professionals at Ballantyne Center for Dentistry are ready to give you the best dental implants in the business.  Imagine, all of this, and modern sedation dentistry techniques to make your experience completely stress-free, pain-free and problem-free. Do not delay; get in touch with Ballantyne Center for Dentistry for your dental implants today!

Christian Yaste

It’s your worst fear, you slip on the steps and you land face-first onto the pavement. You get up and feel a little shaky, and notice your mouth is bleeding. As you look in the mirror, some of your teeth just don’t look the same, one tooth is chipped, another  tooth is very loose, and hanging…..what should you do???

There are many ways we can cause trauma to our teeth and smile. These accidents are scary when our teeth and our smile are involved. It’s important to have a regular relationship with a dentist so you know who to call when you have a dental emergency and your teeth experience some sort of trauma.

Trauma or injury to the face and teeth can happen in many ways- auto accidents, falls, and injuries from sports.  You can also damage and fracture your teeth with hard candy, or chewing on pencils, ice cubes or hard nuts.   It’s important to see your local Charlotte dentist when you believe you have injured your teeth. Tooth fractures can range from minor chipping of the outer layers, to severe cracking to the root of the tooth.  A professional needs to exam your mouth when you have a concern.  X-rays are necessary to diagnose, locate and measure the extent of the tooth fracture.

Talk with your Charlotte dentist about his or her desire to treat mouth trauma. Some dentists prefer to refer out to their dental colleagues for these types of services.  Dr. Christian Yaste and Dr. Joe Hufanda, here at Ballantyne Center for Dentistry have no problem helping you in your time of need. Dental trauma is an opportunity for us to help repair and improve your smile.   When an accident happens, don’t worry, just give us a call, here at Ballantyne Center for Dentistry and we’ll take care of you.

"My Tooth Hurts When I Chew!"  aka "Cracked Tooth Syndrome"

Ok, so today Eric came into the office complaining that his upper molar was hurting whenever he chewed on it or cold got near it.

This is probably one of the most frequent complaints we see in adults. It is typically referred to as “cracked tooth syndrome” and is becoming more and more common. Especially in people that have amalgam/mercury fillings in their back teeth that are 20 years old. Often this is how it happens.

You are sitting in your favorite restaurant eating a piece of bread and then, all of the sudden “POW”…like an electric shock in a tooth goes off. At first it is really sore, but then it settles down enough to be tolerable. You only notice discomfort when you chew just

the right way on it or if you drink something cold. “Hmmmm, maybe it will go away if I just leave it alone for a few days,” you think to yourself. What do you know! It gets better, but then a few weeks later, you notice it again when you bite down on a piece of pizza. “Shoot! I better call Dr. Joe and have him take a look at it” (this is the smart thing to do at this point). You call and make an appointment for next week. Over the weekend the tooth continues to be sore to chew on and you have stopped drinking anything with ice in it. Bright and early Monday morning Dr. Joe takes a look at the tooth. He takes an x-ray and has you bite down on a “tooth sleuth” as well as using a little medical grade freon to check for cold response. “Sure enough, that’s the tooth,” you say. “So what’s wrong?” Unfortunately you have (lets say it together)….Cracked Tooth Syndrome.

“Gee, that sounds terrible! You aren’t going to have to take the tooth out are you?” Nope. We can predictably fix this tooth under most circumstances by doing two things. First, we need to remove all of the old metal and mercury filling material. Then we reshape and resurface the tooth with a ceramic restoration that pulls all of those cracks together and protects the tooth in the future. “Super! Lets fix it ASAP!”

Ok….that’s best case scenario. Now let me walk you down a road that an unfortunate few choose to take. Let’s go back to the pizza dinner. You feel the pain again, except instead of doing the smart thing, you decide to put it off just a little longer (this is the wrong thing to do). The tooth stays sensitive, but as long as you chew on the other side, it doesn’t bother you too much. Then one day you have a sip of coffee and “ZING”……..same tooth, different sensation. The hot coffee seems to cause a very uncomfortable sensation in that tooth. You noticed that it stopped hurting to cold, but the hot….WOW! In fact, cold actually makes it feel better after the hot sensation. Maybe now it is time to call the dentist…..

You go in and see Dr. Joe. He has good news and bad news. “Luckily we can save your tooth, but unfortunately it will need a root canal, post and core, and a crown.” Well, at least you wont be walking around with a big hole in your mouth where the tooth used to be. Dr. Joe tells you that it is a good thing you came in now, because if you waited any longer it could be big trouble. In some cases the tooth just cannot be saved and has to come out. This isn’t the end of the world, but replacing that tooth is more complex than saving it in most cases. You might be a candidate for an implant or a bridge. Still good ways to fix the space, but think back to when you first felt that pain. If you would have just made an appointment then, you would have saved yourself time, money, and pain.   All of the things you were trying to avoid by not seeing the dentist.  So, the next time you feel a twinge in a tooth that has a big ol mercury type filling in it….give us a ring.  704-540-2255